Hirebike dumped in Brayford in Lincoln vandalism spree

A hirebike has ended up in the Brayford Marina as vandals target the rental cycles. Photo: Jo Wallis

Almost two years on since the popular Hirebike scheme was launched in Lincoln, the collection of rental pushbikes in the city have quickly become the target of vandals – with one now ending up in the depths of the Brayford Marina.

The bike was discovered in the River Witham near to the Lincoln Glory Hole on August 19.

Work is now underway to recover the cycle and determine how much damage has been caused to the bike and its dock.

As previously reported, police are investigating damage caused to a number of Hirebikes, run by Hourbike as part of the multi-million pound Access LN6 project (now Access Lincoln).

In July, vandals attempted to rip bikes from their docks at the Birchwood station causing damage to the frames, lights and reflectors.

In the early hours of August 16 four bikes from two separate Lincoln stations were damaged and dumped near to the Netto store on Tritton Road.

Lincolnshire County Council say once the latest stolen bike has been recovered from the Brayford they will be able to evaluate which station it was taken from and whether the dock has been ruined.

The Hirebikes were introduced in 2013 and have expanded to include more stations and passed many usage milestones. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Councillor Richard Davies, Executive Member for Highways and Transportation said: “Unfortunately we’ve seen a spate of mindless vandalism against the hire bikes this summer, which is very disappointing, as they are there to provide an accessible means of transport for people to use around Lincoln.

“This bike will now have to be retrieved from the river and repaired if necessary, taking time and resources that would have otherwise been spent on improving the scheme.

“We are able to continue to provide a service as bikes are redistributed around the city, but we will be following up this latest incident with the police, and asking them to monitor the bikes, along with others that have been targeted recently.”